Seventeen Cosmetics // Honest Review and Swatches

A little while back, I was invited to the Seventeen Cosmetics bloggers event in London. After a mammoth journey into town (quietly cursing the London Underground system to hell and back) I finally arrived at a wonderfully dazzling bloggers event near Soho. 

Can I start by saying how friendly the team are at Seventeen? They were so warm and welcoming. Top marks for putting on a really fantastic event.

Upon leaving the event we were given some products to sample and if I'm honest, I don't think I've ever been so excited to slather my face in a brands products before.

If you're unaware, I'm a gal of the alternative kind. I like bold lips, winged eyeliner and a perfected arched brow that could bring a grown man to tears. The eyeshadow palette I was gifted called 'Easy on the Eyes - The Big Smoke' which was bold, dark and moody, whilst the lipsticks were an assortment of colours that could get me through any season throughout the year. What can I say ladies and gents, I was smitten.

Lets start off with the Matte lipsticks. I haven't worn gloss on my lips since the early noughties and for good reasons. Does any one really enjoy having their hair stuck specifically to their mouth for 90% of the day? No. No they do not.

Matte lipsticks are my bread and butter, so I'd like to think I know a good matte lippy when I get my grubby mitts on one.

Upon first application, the lipsticks (especially 'I Lilac it a lot, Violet Summer and Orange your Gorgeous) were more on the opaque side. However, after a second coat (which is what you can see in the below picture) the coverage was more than adequate. 

Some matte lipsticks tend to ball up after a while or even feel heavy on the skin but not these beauties. They're very light, buttery and truly a dream to wear.

Unlike most people, I love a grey eyeshadow on my eye. I feel as if I can channel my inner Morticia Addams with this colour, so I was more than eager to try 'The Big Smoke' palette out. My go to palette is the Sleek palette 'Bad Girl', which has amazing pigmentation and selection of matte and shimmer shadows.

Alas, the Big Smoke was a big wash out. The shadows lacked pigmentation and they were a bit of a pain to blend. I think if I was going for more of a subtle look, I would definitely use this palette but I'm not sure if it would cut the mustard for my bold looks. One redeeming factor to this palette is the brushes that comes with it. It has one applicator with brushes on either end, one of which is a blending brush. They're a nice quality and definitely not one of those weird, spongey, eyeshadow applicator things you usually get with eyeshadows quads or palettes (Can those things all just burn in hell?).

All in all I would definitely recommend the lipsticks but for me, the palette did not live up to it's name. Have any of you tried Seventeen Cosmetics before? Let me know what you think! 

TREASURE OR TRASH? // NO 7 BEAUTIFULLY MATTE FOUNDATION

Have you ever found a product that you completely forgot existed and then once you reintroduce yourself to it you think, 'Why did I ever let you go?'.

It had been around two whole years since I last used Beautifully Matte and I only stumbled back into it's glory after noticing I had zero foundation whilst on my way to a wedding (I know, sacrilegious). So without too much hesitation I decided to throw myself into the nearest Boots store and hunt down a much needed power foundation!

Now, what do I mean by power foundation? You may have a different name for it but I'm talking about those foundations that you only save for nice occasions. For instance, I'm talking about your Estee Lauder Double Wear, your Nars Sheer Glow, your Makeup Forever HD Foundation etc. You know the ones, your good foundation.

(It's basically the equivalent of the 'good china' our mums used to have when they were our age but ohhh how times have changed!)

Coming in at a total of £14.50, I'd say it was in the mid price range for foundations. It doesn't break the bank but it is slightly more expensive than a lot of other high street brands and it's definitely one of my high street power products.

Coverage

It's a fuller coverage foundation but it doesn't feel too heavy. It sets quite dry which almost looks as if it's been powdered, yet it does have a teeny tiny sheen to it, so you don't look too flat.

One note I would make, if you have dry skin anywhere on your face this foundation will cling to it. This is no different from any other matte foundations but just be aware that any breaks or dryness in the skin will be slightly more accentuated with use.

As you can hopefully see from the below pictures, with one application it creates a perfect flawless base. The redness on my cheeks has been covered and the large pores near my nose (in the top right of each photo) have nearly disappeared.

Overall, I'm completely satisfied with the coverage and the results it gives.

Shades

I can only comment on the lighter shades they provide because...well, look at me. I'm Casper's paler cousin. What I can say is they have a nice selection of shades with pink and yellow under tones. Even though I'm pale and have a bit of redness, I'm much more suited to yellow under toned products. I purchased the shade 'Calico' and thoroughly loved the results it gave.

Longevity 

I think any foundation that says it has the ability to last 15 hours or 'All Day' are just big ol' liars. I'll be completely honest, Beautifully Matte does not last 'All Day' (which is a very wishy washy term anyway) however, it does last a good 4-6 hours with zero touch ups. 

I have fairly oily skin, so my foundation moving throughout the day is a real problem (#firstworldproblems), yet I can leave this foundation for several hours and not be too worried about the results. Yes, you will probably need to touch up and yes it does get slightly oily (that's if you have naturally oily skin) but it's in no way the worst I've seen. Quite frankly, I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it come to foundations anyway, so I do expect a lot from my makeup.

Final Verdict

Perfect for people with oily skin

Be aware it will cling to dry skin

Coverage is fantastic for a high street brand

Price is a good reflection of the products capabilities

Great lasting foundation

Great all year round but a necessity during the colder months

No 7 Beautifully Matte Foundation you are definitely a TREASURE.

Have you ever tried Beautifully Matte before? What did you think of it? Can you recommend any other matte foundations? Let me know in the comments below!

A procrastinators guide to success

Hi, my name is Kirsty and I’m a procrastinator. Whether the task be menial or life threatening, you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m going to put it off for as long as possible.

Now, I’m sure there are a good few procrastinators out in the bloggersphere world (Hey fellow procrastinator, how are you?) and even though we tend to laugh and joke about our whimsical character flaw, procrastinating can sometimes become a little bit too much which I found out a weeks ago.

After putting off some major tasks for the last few months, one night I found myself having a mid-sleep panic attack, worrying about all the tasks that were slowly pilling on top of one another and how important they were becoming. So after a sleepless night I decided that enough was enough and that I needed to put some things in place, so this would never happen again!

So here’s a procrastinators guide to getting stuff done.

WRITE A TO DO LIST

If you’re anything like me, you will not be procrastinating over one or two things but instead several dozen! Why not jot them all down somewhere? Because lets face it, a forgotten task or responsibility is another thing we do not need to worry about.

MAKE YOUR TO DO LIST VISIBLE

You know that saying ‘Out of sight, out of mind’, well that’s what procrastination is. You hide away all your worries and responsibilities, until one day comes and you have no choice but to deal with them. So why not put your lists/plans in a place that you can see every day. Maybe you have a white board, a chalk board, a board made of cork…this is turning into a rhyme, I feel like a dork (Wahey). By any means necessary, make those tasks visible. 

PLAN AHEAD

When I wake in the morning I can barely recognize myself in the mirror, let alone complete a bit of top notch adulting. So why not help your future self out and set things up for your future self to swoop in and complete. A personal example would be that before I go to work I set up my laptop and a few important documents on my bed, so that once I return home from work I have no excuse but to complete them. It actually works. Well done me.

TAKE YOUR TIME

My current to do list in about 20 bullet point strong and for some reason I have this idea that I have to finish them all at once. But why worry yourself? Why not just tick off one a day? Or one a week (depending on their urgency)? Not only will you work through your list in no time, it’ll be like a small little win for yourself (See this post about the importance of little goals).

BE CALM

Ok, so this really, really important thing, that is WAY over due but you’ve put it off for some time, is now REAL important! Do you know what’s not going to help you? Panicking. Sit back. Chill out for a second and assess the situation from afar. There’s nothing you can do about your incessant time wasting now, all you can do is look forward! Point number 1 may help with this.

So there it is, my procrastinators guide to success. Are you a procrastinator? If so, what are your tips to successfully not waste time?

Makeup Revolution 2nd Birthday // Big News

Around a month ago, like most days, I found myself scrolling through my Twitter ideally skimming over hundreds of tweets, when I happened to gaze upon a wondrously epic tweet.

It was from Makeup Revolution stating that if bloggers wanted to come to their 2nd Birthday event, all they had to do was send over their details to their email address.

Quickly, I gathered all my links and wrote a pleading email stating why I would be an asset at their event but I'll be honest, I didn't hold out much hope for a reply. When I looked at the hashtag (#revolutionbirthday) and saw all the ladies attending the event, I felt WAY out of place. They were all beautiful, blonde, beauty bloggers who oozed confidence and then there was me...hmmm.

However, to my surprise I got a reply and a RSVP! 

It's always nice to attend beauty and bloggers events but this one was especially important to me. I've been using Makeup Revolution products since they first swaggered on to the beauty scene and I've loved them ever since. Not only do they create innovative products but they do so at amazing prices (for crying out loud, you can buy a lippy for a £1!)

But the main reason I wanted to attend this event was because Makeup Revolution are cruelty free. I have been on a mission for the last 6 months to buy only cruelty free products and it's brand like Makeup Revolution that make this transition super easy.

Like the massive saddo I am, I attended the event alone, but lucky for me I bumped into Lauren and Abi in the beginning of the evening, so I didn't feel super out of place! They introduced me to the lovely Tess and eventually we both introduced ourselves to the wonderful Charlotte! I ended up spending the entire night with Tess and Charlotte and it turned out to be such a pleasant evening. So much so, us 3 even ended up going for a cheeky Nandos afterwards!

Right! I don't want this to be a lengthy blog where I spout loads of nonsense and don't get to the point, so here they are, the highlights of Makeup Revolutions 2nd birthday party!

Competition
Lets start with the most exciting part first. Makeup revolution are hosting a makeup competition and you better be prepared to be blown away! As a lover of all things Youtube and beauty, I have followed the NYX'S Face Awards for the last 5 years. They have hosted a competition in the US for up and coming beauty gurus who have won absolutely astonishing prizes and now, Makeup Revolution are doing the same! I think I squealed with joy when they announced the competition at the party. If you want more details on the competition, have a watch of my Makeup Revolution Birthday Vlog below! Also, it's worth noting, the prizes have now doubled! The Runners up will received £2,000 and the winner will receive a whopping £20,000!!!! (Swoon!)

Makeup Revolution App
Yes, that's right! Makeup Revolution now have an app. Not only does it show you up and coming products, it shows new available products, stockists around the country and gives you makeup inspiration and tutorials! Phew! That's a lot for an app that's free!

Adam Minto's Speech

I have to say, this was one of the most impassioned, genuine, insightful speeches I've ever heard in my entire life (and I've sat through a lot of business meetings in my time). Adam Minto is the founder of Makeup Revolution and I doubt I'd be able to do any justice to what Adam said but I wanted to say a huge thank you to him and Makeup Revolution. Makeup Revolution works with and appreciate bloggers. They don't treat us like blaggers like some brands do and they realise the true potential/value good bloggers have. Not only this, he spoke so highly of women in general and showed delight and pride when speaking about his wife, a high achieving business woman. I was lucky enough to meet and speak with Adam at the end of the evening and he was a pleasure to talk to. If you watch my video you'll see how handsy I get when I talk to people (not in a perverted way).

All in all, it was a very wonderful evening full of fantastic beauty products, beautiful bloggers and enthusiastic founders.

May more brands be like Makeup Revolution!

London Fashion weekend // ootd

OK. Shall we address the elephant in the room before I start this post? I have no style.

Zero style in fact. 

I dress for warmth and comfort which basically means boring and boring. This would also explain the lack of OOTD posts I do because who would want to take an fashion advice from me?

Anyway, enough of the self deprecation!

Back on a very cold but bright Friday morning, Hayley Owen (blogger friend extraordinaire) and myself visited London Fashion Weekend at the Saatchi Gallery near Sloane square. On most days, I'm not opposed to just chucking on whatever is around me and running out the door but that day I was trying to go for this effortless street/chic style which I'm sure I didn't pull off but hey, God loves a trier!

I knew the temperature was going to be dwindling that day so I was more than happy to rock my new grey duster coat I picked up in the sale from New Look. I had my eye on this beauty for a little while and snapped it up online for £38 down from £54.

My dark denim looking top (which is actually just a cotton shirt) was also a sale purchase from New Look. Purchased for £6 down from £12.

As always, I had to get some black in there somewhere and so I threw on my Joni Jeans from Topshop to maximise comfort and warmth.

Also, if you haven't noticed, white trainers are all the rage nowadays (sweetie darling) and even though most people are wearing white Adidas Superstar trainers, I decided against them (as they make my feet look HUGE) and went with some classic flat slip ons from New Look purchased for £12. Bargain.

My hat is also a New Look purchase but it was from last year (I swear this isn't #sponsored but I wish it bloody well was! Have you seen the latest collection from New Look?! It all looks good enough to eat...or wear...whatever)

My bag is from Primark which I included in a YouTube haul. You can watch that here!

(Cheeky plug)

So there you have it, my not so effortless, trying to be cool but not OOTD!

People who shouldn't be trusted

As kids we were all told by our parents who we should and shouldn’t trust. We were informed never to take candy from strangers (spoil sports), we were told to watch out for creepy old men with puppies and we were told never to go home with a stranger even if they knew our parents’ names. So what? Now because we’re all grown up, does it mean the threat of awful people no longer exists? Of course not!

Bad people are everywhere; working next to you, serving you coffee and smiling at you briefly on the train (those evil geniuses). These buggers are so much harder to spot the older we get, so to help us all out I have complied a short list of people who I think, shouldn't be trusted.

People who put up bad photos of you on the internet because they look good in them. There is a special place in hell for this type of person. May they get 7 years of bad selfies for such a heinous act.

People who put up bad photos of you on the internet because they look good in them but try and convince you that you look good in them too. This person is clearly a deluded liar and is not your friend. After this, who knows what they’re truly capable of?!!? Identity theft? Releasing smallpox? The possibilities are endless…

People who say they hate specific species of animals. As a cat lover, I regularly hear how people hate cats. I don’t think I’ve ever asked why or tried to convince them otherwise because why bother? These people are clearly morons. How can you hate a species of animals? That’s like saying you hate plants. It’s odd and you seem a bit serial killery. Stop it and start hating something more worthwhile, like over population or The Weekend’s hair.

(Seriously though, his hair angers me)

People who spit in public places. I think this one is self-explanatory. It’s gross. You’re gross. Stop being gross. Gross.

People who say they forget to drink enough water. There are two main reasons why you shouldn’t trust someone who says this. 1. They’re either a complete idiot or 2. They’re a droid. My guess is the latter but if you are one of these people who say this sort of stuff, what else do you forget to do? Breathe? Stop being weird and drink more water #firstworldproblems

People who see the good in everything. They were clearly sent here by Satan to test us all. Them and their eternal happiness should not be trusted…

People who say they don’t like guacamole. If you don’t like guacamole you’re eating bad guacamole. Simple. Guacamole is life. Guacamole is Queen. So if you come across someone who says they don’t like guacamole, run. Run as fast as you can, far, far away. Hurry.

People who give back handed compliments. People who can’t be up front, honest and blunt about their feelings, cannot be trusted. Bish, I am 27 years old and have met much meaner looking people than you. Stop giving half arsed insults disguised as compliments and just tell me you don’t like me.

I hope this small list of rantiness has helped at least one person. Have you got any examples you'd like to add to the list? Let me know in the comments below.

PS. Don't take this personally. It's a JOKE!

Single on Valentines Day

Now, I’d like to consider myself a bit of a strong and independent woman who doesn’t need any man to make her feel happy or complete her but I can understand why some people may feel a little lonely around Valentines Day.

But hey, as a single gyal myself, I thought I’d let you know what I will and won’t be doing this Valentine’s Day in hope to round up the troops of fellow singletons.

I will be sleeping in. As I have no one to surprise with breakfast in bed or no special someone to get up and see, you better your bottom dollar I’ll turning all alarms off and staying in the land of nod for a few extra hours, undisturbed, in my own bed, all to myself. Heaven.

I will be treating myself. The way I look at it is that I would usually be spending a small fortune on my significant other on Valentine’s Day as the meal, a few small gifts and maybe even a day out quickly adds up. So as I’m alone this year, I’ve decided that instead of showering someone else with gifts, I’ll shower myself with them instead and I.can’t.wait.

I will eat whatever I please. 

I won’t be stalking my ex on social media. Let’s face it, looking at your ex’s social media accounts is a sure fire way to end up feeling crap. Maybe they have a new partner or maybe they’re still alone but they just look really bloody happy (the bastard). Either way, looking at ex’s social media accounts is always a no no for me but on V day, their accounts are especially off limits.

I won’t be going on dating apps. Dating apps are pretty horrific little bastards on normal days anyway, so to be scrolling through them on them on Valentine’s Day would probably be the most depressing thing in the world.

I will work out. After filling myself up with food that could probably feed a small town (or nation), I intend to work off those extra thousand calories because:

1. It’s self-improvement and who doesn’t love a bit of that every now and again?

2. Endorphins.

I won't begrudge others in relationships. It's around this time of year that on all social media platforms you'll see multiple photos of lavish gifts and surprises with 'The boy did good' as the caption. Happy in a relationship? Good for you! Happy and alone? Good for you too! I'll be honest, I don't particularly care if others parade their happiness in full view whilst I'm single, it really doesn't bother me. However, I do occasionally see a few green eyed monsters out there who seem to begrudge happy couples and them displaying it. Let the soppy couples be happy and focus on yo' self gurl. 

I won't moan about being single. I've been single for a while now and I can tell you this...it's pretty fucking awesome. After coming out of what can only be described as a horrific relationship, I am more than happy to be single and happy, than be in a relationship and unhappy.

So how will all of you be spending your Valentines Day? Are you spending it with your significant other? Or loving it up alone? 

From me, to everyone else out there who is in or out of a relationship, I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines Day, whatever you get you to (Even if that's singing 'All By Myself' at full pelt, in front of your cat. At least he loves you)

Why I don't adult well

Even though I work full time, have managed to keep an animal alive for nearly 12 years and even been smart enough not to set myself on fire (yet), there are just so many things that as a 27 year old I really should be (or shouldn't be) doing. Here are 10 reasons why I don't adult well.

1. I eat wayyyyyy too much out of date food. My motto is if it looks, smells and tastes good then you're good to go. But just for the record, if the zombie apocalypse does ever occur in my life time, it might be worth noting that I was probably patient zero harbouring some mutant gene...just sayin'.

2. I convince myself that I deserve bad food. Had a hard day at work? Why not console yourself with a Burger King? Good day at work? Why not celebrate with a Burger King?! Someone looked at you funny? Burger King! Too tired to cook? Burger King! Feeling hormonal? Burger King! Raining? Burger King! Full moon? Burger King! Do you still have arms?! BURGER KING!

3. I don't iron anything. But does it count if I do it with hair straighteners?

4. I pick spots. Even though I've been told not to for nearly 15 years of my life, I just can't stop myself! It's like those mini Vesuvius's are taunting me!

5. I forget every single password, to every single account I own, on a weekly basis. I'm not even kidding.

6. I'm never on time. I hate this trait and I'm sorry in advance. I don't mean to keep you waiting but I'm either admiring (stalking) someone on social media or talking to my cat. What can I say? I'm a very busy woman...

7. I procrastinate. Kirsty. Do you need to do something really important? Something so important, that if you don't do it it will impact your life massively in an awful way? You do?! *pffffffffftttttt* Lets put that on the back burner for a few months and carry on watching Friends marathons, even though I'm pretty sure you've seen every episode at least 7 times...

8. I hate the dark. And yes, I am convinced that there is a monster lurking somewhere in the shadows and yes, I am convinced it is plotting to scare me to death (literally) just so it can steal my soul! What's so crazy about that?!! (Many thanks to the film series Insidious for implementing horrific scary demon thoughts in my head. Assholes).

9. I never sleep at reasonable hours, for reasonable amounts of time. Gotta be up early? Why not start scrolling through your twitter feed at 3am, rereading the same tweets over and over again for another 40 minutes whilst EVERYONE ELSE SLEEPS, LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE!

10. I talk to my cat as if he is a human and understands me.
Maybe this isn't so much as 'bad adulting' but more like insanity...

Are you bad at adulting? What are your worst bad adulting traits?

New Year. Enhanced Me.

I don’t know about you but I’m one big ball of self-deprecation. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate myself but I’d like to think I’m quite realistic about my flaws and my not so good qualities.

Some may read this and say ‘But you need to love yourself! Love your mind! Love your body!’, but I already do. This may seem like such a contradiction but in the most non conceited way possible (is that even possible?) I really do love myself, including my self-deprecation. I’d hate to be so unaware of my flaws, whether they are physical or mental, that I go around thinking I’m the female embodiment of perfection. Yes, sometimes it's good to embrace your flaws but sometimes it's good to realize we're not all rainbows and sunshine and that a bit of enhancement can be a good thing.

But enhance, what do I mean by that? Well, it just means that throughout this year I’d like to work on some bad qualities I have and make positive changes in my life. Some may read this and think, ‘Hey, this is just some New year’s resolutions bullshit! Get a grip’ and well, you're kinda right. I guess I’m just not a fan of the word resolutions and if I’m honest these changes have been on my mind for quite some time.

So why now? Why New Year? Whether you look at the new year as just another number to add to your calendar, I personally see it as a clean slate that allows me to make some much needed adaptations to my life. 

Yes it’s a new year but it's definitely not a new me…just an enhanced one.

Veganism

Ok, so, this is something I’ve had on my mind since I last stopped being a vegan which was nearly 4 years ago. Without going into the long and short of it, it’s something I truly believe in and something I really want to become part of my life again. I'm slowly but surely getting there and this will take a few weeks to finalize, however, this is where I become the BIGGEST hypocrite ever. 

(Hey, it's my blog, why not be brutally honest?)

In a few months I will be heading to America. Not many people will know this but this journey is very important to me, as it’s something I’ve longed to do my entire 27 years on this earth. Whilst in America I have made a pact that I will be allowed to eat whatever I please whilst I'm away. I know, I’m awful and I’m aware how selfish it is but my response to that is…’Meh, you rarely go to your dream destination'.

Cruelty Free

As a blogger/Instagram addict and a sucker for a good bit of packaging, I find myself buying lots of beautiful and wonderfully unnecessary products that I've seen fellow bloggers/Youtubers rave about. However, during the latter part of last year I found myself stumbling across a few Vegan Beauty Hauls on Youtube and started to realize that I owned a hell of a lot of products that were tested on animals. 

This really freaked me out.  

As someone who considers themselves an ‘animal lover’ I felt a fraud buying products from companies that willingly tested on animals.

I’ve already started to only buy cruelty free products which is much easier than I thought and I intend to replace my whole makeup/cosmetic collection with cruelty free products. This will eventually start to trickle out into everything in my home such as cleaning products or detergents etc. However, my own stipulation is that I must use up all the products I already have before buying any other cruelty free products to replace them. Even though I hate the fact that I’m still using these cruel products, I’d hate it even more if I just threw full bottles of of products away. What a waste.

Ethical Clothing

It would be odd of me to only address the needs of animals and not that of humans too. I find it so easy to buy clothing from cheap high street stores that are renowned for their unethical ways but deep down I’d really only like to only buy from ethical companies who help their employees and allow them to work in a suitable working conditions with fair pay. I’d hope that if I was ever in their position, more fortunate people like myself, would do the same.

Stop Cancelling Plans

I’m hardly a flake and I’m probably making this out to be a much bigger deal than it actually is but yes, my name is Kirsty and I cancel plans. I don't ever cancel plans because I’ve found something better to do, quite the contrary. Most of the time I wind myself up so much that I end up convincing myself that I’d be better off at home doing nothing. Why? I’ll never know but 2016 is the year for this to end.

Make More Plans

I am have acquired some absolutely belters of friends over the last few years and I’d really like to spend more time with them. As mentioned above, my inner demons convince me I’m better off at home and so I don’t end up doing anything but this year…Oh, THIS YEAR, it’ll be different.

Read More

You may already be aware that nearly 10 years ago I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia. Though my dyspraxia has somewhat improved over the last year, my dyslexia hounds me every day. I sometimes find myself unable to form full sentences without stumbling over my words. 

Yeah, great but what has this got to do with reading? 

Reading helps to slow my mind and it also helps me to look at words I struggle with visualizing. I find that the more I read, the less my dyslexia affects me, so this is something I really need to work on throughout this entire year.

Exercise

I'm aware that many hate exercise but my personal thoughts are, if I have a body that is ready and able, I should exercise or move or jump or anything. I really adore exercising (weird, I know) and I love the results I get both internally and externally but like most things I’m so unbelievably lazy and bone idle that I never really push myself to do it. I really want to start pushing myself this year and be proud of my strong body.

Be Productive

This may sound odd but I love doing nothing. I love being quiet and I love being alone but whilst I enjoy the nothingness in the moment, most of the time I end up resenting myself slightly because I feel I’ve wasted my day and done nothing worthwhile. I need to be more productive and proactive with my time.

Sleeping

Oh man. I really love bed and do you know what? Bed really loves me. This is going to be one tough romance to break but I know this is something I need to stop doing so much off. Sleeping in is one of my biggest habits and I adore it. I could sleep for England and I usually find myself easily sleeping in to 3pm. Maybe it's the cold weather, maybe it's the short, dark days, either way...it needs to stop.

Volunteer  

This is something I’ve applied to do in the past but was turned away at every door due to lack of funding. However, I was contacted the other day and told that I’ve been selected to be a ‘buddy’ for an elderly person who is alone, so that's a start!

Reading this back I sound like a right mess! Maybe I'll do a post about my positives just to counteract this massive well of self-deprecation.

So, what about you? Are you aiming to make any adaptations to your life this year? Can you relate to any of the above? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to leave me your blog link as well!

Go Big By Dreaming Small

Lets face it, we've all heard the terms 'Go big or go home' and 'New Year, New Me' as it's around this time of year when a lot of people put these terms to good use and promise themselves a multitude of changes over the forthcoming months.

Don't get me wrong, dreaming big is a necessity that gets me through most days but if anyone is like me, I can't help but fail at the grand gesture New Years resolution. Some may be able to carry on their new found resolution for the full 365 days, and to them, I tip my hat (and quietly curse them beneath my breath) but when it comes to the New Year and the new you, I feel our basic desires and attainable wishes are somewhat overlooked.

Think about it for a second. How many small dreams, aspirations or goals do you have right now? I mean it. Instead of thinking big for a second, lets think real small. How many times have you said you wanted to travel to that beautiful city you've always dreamt about visiting? Or promising yourself you'd go to that restaurant you've heard so many good things about. Even wishing that you allowed yourself some more 'me' time... 

Instead of wishing to complete these small goals internally but never giving them too much afterthought, why not give yourself mini monthly targets in advance and actually do them? 

I know this may seem so obvious to some but I know there are so many out there who let the days, weeks and months slip away until another year has come and gone with not much else achieved. I used to be that person.  

Sometimes it's nice to just achieve something, anything. Sometimes it's just nice to tick something off your to do list, stand back and look at your small but personal achievement. Achieving any goal, big or small, has so many rewarding factors associated with it. 

For the last two years, instead of having one or two major New Years Resolutions that I promise myself I'm going to keep but never do, (as they're subsequently forgotten about by the time March rolls around) I tend to set myself several monthly targets, aspirations or dreams that I have always wanted to achieve which have continually been placed on the back burner of my mind because you know...such is life.

(Cheeky plug, you can find my 2014 monthly goals here, here and here, along with my 2015 monthly goals here. If you want to see some TERRIBLE writing, layout and pictures, then definitely click on those links. PS You're welcome).

I'll just put this out there, the targets I set myself each month are not ground breaking in the slightest. I'm not asking myself to run 25 miles in 30 minutes, to create world peace or to visit the moon with my cat strapped to my head. No. Instead, I'm setting myself realistic and achievable goals that I know I'd be so stoked and satisfied to finally complete.

Some of the goals I set myself over the last few years have varied greatly. 

I've created a list of food that I've always wanted to try but never did before because I was far too afraid to go out of my culinary comfort zone. I visited major land marks in London that I had never visited because for some odd reason, after living here for 27 years I had never been to places like the Towers of London! I went to my first Yoga Class, my first bloggers meet up and even started up my own Youtube channel and actually uploaded content! 

(Hey, have another cheeky plug...here's my Youtube Channel)

But why plan small instead of big? Personally, I was fed up of letting each year come and go as they pleased without me so much as planning, organising or achieving anything in each year. It's all well and good having the intention to achieve something but in reality, how many of my big dreams was I going to achieve in just a year? I don't know about you but my personal dreams are still in the making and will take another few years to get into motion. So whilst I wait here for the big pay off, am I just supposed to sit ideally? Waiting? Wondering? Because that's what I did and I got bored.

New Years resolutions don't have to be some grand, almighty gesture. Dreaming big is amazing but in reality, having small goals is amazing too. I'm not sitting here sticking my fingers up to all the big dreamers out there, far from it. I think if you are able to succeed in planning and completing smaller goals or targets, what's stopping you from going for the big kahunas?

The New Year doesn't have to mean a whole New you, maybe it could just mean a more happier and content you, who is achieving personal goals on a monthly basis?

Wow, I sound like the right life and soul of the party don't I? Plan your year or your life will dwindle into a ball of nothingness and you won't ever achieve the smallest dreams you've ever had in your life...*

Well, that escalated quickly...

Do you have any New Years resolutions planned? Do you like to 'Go big or Go home'? Or do you like to aim for the smaller dreams you have?

*PS If you don't get my humour this paragraph is going to be a very odd read for some and for that, I apologise. I'm lying, I don't, get a sense of humour...

;)